Miami Zombie
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Overview
Miami Zombie (also known as "Miami Cannibal") is the nickname given to Rudy Eugene, a deceased man who viciously attacked and cannibalized the homeless man Ronald Poppo in May of 2012.
Background
On May 26th, 2012, the Miami Herald[1] published an article titled "Naked man killed by Police near MacArthur Causeway was ‘eating’ face off victim", which reported that police had discovered a man chewing on another man's face on the MacArthur Causeway ramp in Miami, Florida. The man continued the assault after being ordered by officers to back away, and was subsequently shot six times. The article went on to report that police suspected the man was experiencing a drug-induced psychotic episode brought on by consuming cocaine.
Notable Developments
After being reported by the Miami Herald on May 26th, 2012, the story was covered by other news media outlets including MSNBC, The New York Post[3], The Huffington Post[4], The Daily Mail[5] and USA Today.[6] The following day, YouTuber GalzZone uploaded a video titled "Man Eating Another Man's Face In Miami", featuring security camera footage of the attack. Within four days, the video received over 950,000 views and 1,700 comments.
Victim's Identity
On May 28th, 2012, the Miami Herald[7] identified the victim as 65-year-old Ronald Poppo, a homeless man who had been living on the streets for 30 years. According to CBS News[16], Poppo was a decorated student at a prestigious high school in New York City before becoming homeless in his 30s.
Bath Salts Rumors
On May 29th, 2012, ABC News[14] published an article titled "Face-Eating Attack Possibly Prompted by 'Bath Salts,' Authorities Suspect", which reported that the Eugene may have been using the synthetic stimulant drug Mephedrone. The stimulant that goes by the street name "bath salts" has been known to cause violent behavior and the stripping off of one's clothes in order to cool the body from overheating. The same day, Redditor KingContext submitted a post to the /r/Drugs[15] subreddit, which complained that news outlets were demonizing the chemical Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) by confusing it with Mephedrone.
Zombie Apocalypse
On May 27th, 2012, The Miami Zombie Twitter[12] account was created, which featured tweets written in the perspective of a hungry undead creature. On May 29th, BuzzFeed[9] staff member Donna Dickens published a post titled "Zombie Apocalypse Begins in Florida", which listed several strange events leading up the the Miami attack. On May 30th, Redditor ATKDragon submitted a rage comic titled "Not a zombie rage" (shown below) to the f7u12[10] subreddit, which joked about the Miami attack being perceived as a sign of a zombie outbreak. Within two days, the post received over 3,400 up votes and 150 comments.
The same day, Newsweek and The Daily Beast launched a custom Google Map[11] titled "Zombie Instances, May 2012" was created, which featured tagged locations where news stories related to strange outbreaks and cannibalism were reported (shown below). On May 31st, the women's interest blog Jezebel[8] published an article titled "There is No Miami Zombie Apocalypse, Just Mentally Ill People With No Safety Net", which criticized the zombie apocalypse jokes for being insensitive and ignoring the root causes of the Miami cannibalism incident.
View Zombie Instances, May 2012 in a larger map
YouTube Reactions
Search Interest
External References
[1] Miami Herald – Naked man killed by Police near MacArthur Causeway was eating face off victim
[2] MSNBC – Miami police shoot naked man chewing on victim's face
[3] New York Post – Naked man shot dead as he ate victim's face following fight in Miami
[4] The Huffington Post – Naked Man Allegedly Eating Victim's Face Shot And Killed By Miami Police
[5] The Daily Mail – Naked man shot dead by police as he chewed victim's face off by side of freeway
[6] USA Today – Officer kills naked attacker chewing man's face
[7] Miami Herald – Victim in ghoulish flesh-eating attack on the MacArthur Causeway identified
[8] Jezebel – There Is No Miami Zombie Apocalypse, Just Mentally Ill People With No Safety Net
[9] BuzzFeed – Zombie Apocalypse Begins In Florida
[10] Reddit – not a zombie rage
[11] Google Maps – Zombie Instances, May 2012
[12] Twitter – @TheMiamiZombie
[13] The Huffington Post – It's Bigger Than Bath Salts and Zombie Apocalypses
[14] ABC News – Face-Eating Attack Possibly Prompted by Bath Salts, Authorities Suspect
[15] Reddit – New LSD and Bad LSD police are blaming the Miami zombie attack on is now also being called bath salts, despite that drug being Mephedrone which is absolutely NOT Lysergic acid diethylamide, the ONLY thing that is LSD. They are lying on purpose to demonize LSD
[16] CBS News – Ronald Poppo, victim of Fla. face eater Rudy Eugene was a high school achiever
Top Comments
Ryuki Satzuki I'mJustADamnCentaur
May 29, 2012 at 09:30PM EDT
ConnerABacon
May 29, 2012 at 06:35PM EDT